Are You Ready? Pins for Paws Challenge BLUE EARTH NICOLLET COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY. In This Issue. February Are You Ready? Pins for Paws.

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1 1 of 6 11/17/2016 7:46 PM BLUE EARTH NICOLLET COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY February 2016 Are You Ready? Our newsletter this month includes some great success stories of BENCHS alumni who have enriched the lives of their owners in a variety of ways. We re excited to be able to share these with you. The adoptive families were aware of the challenges in adopting these dogs and have taken the time to work through the challenges to give these pets the lives that they deserve. One of the reasons BENCHS is a successful shelter is due to the efforts of the staff and volunteers to place our dogs and cats into exactly the right home. As a first step in this process, we re asking everyone who is thinking that they might want to adopt a pet to read a handout, Are You Ready. It s easy to wander through the shelter and fall in love with a cute kitten or dog whose eyes seem to beg you to take him/her home. But the responsibility of adopting a pet is a long term commitment. By asking a few simple questions, the staff may help you decide what kind of pet would be a great fit or that now is not the right time to add to your household. If adoption is not a good option for you right now, but you really need some dog time, consider becoming one our certified dog walkers. Need kitty time instead? We are always looking for people to spend time socializing our condo cats through our adopt a condo program. Are You Ready to adopt? Pins for Paws Challenge On Sunday, March 6, the Wow Zone will host the annual Pins for Paws Bowling Tournament. The BENCHS team consisting of staff members Molly, Dena, Eric, Kaitlin and Allison has challenged the Nicollet Vet Clinic team, Doug's Divas, to get the most donations. Each team would like to take home the trophy for the team raising the most money for the tournament. All proceeds of this event are In This Issue Are You Ready? Pins for Paws Ralphy Trixie Deagan Volunteer Spotlight Thank You Cat Visiting Room Black is the New Tabby Our Wish List Past Events Upcoming Events Vital Statistics Treasury Notes Painless Giving Donate

2 of 6 11/17/2016 7:46 PM used to provide care for the homeless cats and dogs currently waiting at BENCHS. We also understand that there is an informal challenge to see which team can throw the least number of gutter balls! That might be worth watching! Paws for News has offered to help by making it easy for you to help your favorite team. Click on your team below to make a donation. Watch our website for daily updates on your teams progress. Volunteer Homes Needed Upcoming Events Pasta at the Pub Sunday, Feb. 28 3:30-6:30 pm BENCHS Nicollet Vet Clinic $10 in advance $12 at the door Tickets can be purchased online or at the shelter between 3-5pm Would you like to participate? Registrations are still open. Click for more information All you can eat Pasta 3 kinds of sauce salad garlic bread soft drinks Challenging Dogs - Ralphy Ralphy s life on the streets had made him anxious, angry, and distrustful of humans. When he came to the shelter last May, the staff at BENCHS knew right away that he would need extra love, attention, and training. They decided to contact Shannon Lloyd, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and asked if she would be willing to work with Ralphy. When Shannon first met Ralphy, he was sitting by his kennel door pleading for attention. As she entered his kennel, Ralphy became hyperactive and began jumping and biting. Shannon knew right away that she needed to establish a connection with Ralphy and find a way to teach him an entirely new set of behaviors. Ralphy wanted attention, but the only way he knew how to get it was by biting and jumping. Shannon taught Ralphy to calm down by ignoring his bad behavior and rewarding him when he was good. She enrolled Ralphy in Key City Kennel Club s Basic Manners class, and using a clicker, taught Ralphy basic commands like sit, stay, and lie down. Most importantly, Ralphy learned who was the leader in their team and that he could trust Shannon. Without the love and attention of BENCHS staff, the dedicated dog walkers, and Shannon, Ralphy would not be where he is today. He was recently adopted into his forever home and his new owners have agreed to continue his training with the same instructor. In the meantime, he goes to the gym with his human mom and has a blast running around and working on tricks. Now that s a story with a happy ending! Pins for Paws Bowling Tournament Sunday March 6 noon WOW Zone Don't want to bowl? Come and help your favorite team win the Spirit Award Hy Vee Pet Event March 2-13

3 of 6 11/17/2016 7:46 PM Training is important for every dog. The following links provide information about obedience classes in Mankato Therapy Dogs - Trixie Trixie. Trixie is one lucky dog! Not only does she get to live in a loving home, but her owner is planning to have her trained to be a certified therapy dog. Trixie lives with four developmentally disabled women. Since she has joined them, these women have become more social and cheerful. They used to stay in their rooms all the time, but now they love to spend time together hanging out with There is little doubt that therapy dogs are enriching the lives of thousands of people every day. True therapy dogs that participate in structured programs designed by health care professionals can decrease pain, improve mobility, speed up post-surgery healing and even calm autistic children. The greater number of therapy dogs visit hospitalized children and senior center residents. So what is involved in training Trixie to become a therapy dog? What makes a good therapy dog? The most important qualification is that the dog love people. Therapy dogs need to be both physically and emotionally calm. The level of acceptable activity depends on where the dog is working, but a calm manner is essential. Therapy dogs need to tolerate kids who hug them so tightly they can hardly breathe and having their tails pulled. Most therapy dog programs require a dog pass the Canine Good Citizen Test before taking the test to become a certified therapy dog. If you are considering training your dog to become a certified therapy dog, here are some links with helpful information about programs and training Buy 2 promo bags filled with food and a toy for cats or food and a treat for dogs, and receive a "Raise the Woof" tote free from Hy Vee This has been a great event for us in the past and helps stock our shelves with necessities Wine, Beer and Chocolate Tasting April 7 6:00-8:30pm Country Inn and Suites Silent Auction 6-8pm Tickets available soon Past Events Valentine Rose Sale Thank you to everyone who purchased roses. We nearly doubled our sales and earned over $1,400 for the shelter. Kiwanis Holiday Lights Our amazing group of volunteers who helped with set up, tear down and for several nights during the event earned $1,075 Thanks to all the folks who helped. We hope to see you all again next year. Older Dogs - Deagan Vital Statistics January Adoptions Cats & Kittens - 63

4 of 6 11/17/2016 7:46 PM When Jessica and her husband moved back to Mankato and purchased their first home, there was no question they would adopt a dog. Jessica started looking at online dog profiles from local shelters and noticed Deagan, a 9-year-old black lab. Deagan had been at BENCHS for over a year; he was shy and terrified of everything. Staff at BENCHS suspected that he had spent his entire life locked up in an outside kennel. Jessica and her husband met Deagan the next day and brought him home. Although Deagan had his challenges, he quickly adapted to their life. He knew his basic commands, was housetrained, walked well on a leash, and was well-behaved. Life was busy for Jessica and her husband: they were both working full time and remodeling their house and training a puppy would have been difficult. Deagan is now almost 15 years old and still runs around the backyard, wrestles with his pup brother, and loves their 14-month old son. Jessica and her husband are so glad they can continue to give this sweet boy the happiest years of his life. Most people are hesitant to adopt an older dog, but as Deagan s story indicates, there are lots of advantages. Many older dogs were once owned and loved by someone. For whatever reason, they were given up and need a home. Most older dogs are housetrained and know basic commands. Older dogs are calmer and don t require as much exercise, and since they have their adult teeth, they don t want to chew up your favorite shoes. If you are considering adopting a dog, don t forget that adopting an older dog might be the best decision you could make. If you are considering adopting an older dog, here are some links for more information: Volunteer Spotlight There is nothing lovelier than taking a nice walk with your dog. The sun is shining, the temperature is 70 degrees, and Buddy is right by your left side in a perfect heel. But for the dedicated dog walkers at BENCHS, this is hardly the case. Whether it is 100 degrees or 25 below zero, BENCHS dedicated dog walkers Pat, Wayne, and Jeff show up to walk the dogs. Pat, a retired RN, started walking dogs about a year ago. She told me the hardest part of the job Wayne, Pat & Jeff is when a dog she has fallen in love with finds a forever home. Even though she is happy for the dog, it doesn t take long to form a strong bond. Last September, Jeff came in to buy a sweatshirt and ended up walking dogs. His own dog is getting too old to walk much, so walking the dogs at BENCHS allows him to get his dog walking fix. Jeff works full time every day until 3:00, and then comes to the shelter to walk the dogs. His favorite dog was Kiera, a black lab mix, and although he was happy when she was adopted, he still misses walking her. Wayne is also a regular at BENCHS and is great with some of the dogs who are Dogs & Puppies - 24 Total - 87 January Intakes Cats & Kittens - 31 Dogs & Puppies - 27 Total - 58 Treasury Notes January Income Statement Operations Income: $28,280 Operations Expenses $15,921 Net Income $12,359 Painless Giving Amazon Smiles Are you an Amazon addict? Click the link above to register for Amazon Smile and 5% of your purchases will go to BENCHS Donation for the last quarter totaled over $51. And you have to do is sign up and shop. WoofTrax Add this app to your mobile phone, turn it on whenever you take a walk and BENCHS will receive a donation for every mile that you walk. Great for your, your dog and BENCHS. Apply to Volunteer Dog Walkers Orientation Session at 3:30pm on dog walking days. All dog walkers are required

5 5 of 6 11/17/2016 7:46 PM the most challenging. Without these dedicated dog walkers, many of the dogs at BENCHS would not get the exercise and human interaction they need in order to become adoptable pets. Thank you Pat, Jeff and Wayne for all of your hard work! Thank you Carson Craft and Fine Impressions to attend a session. Sign up for Dog Walker Training during orientation Adopt a Condo Spend some time each week with the cats in your assigned condo. Front Desk Receptionist Data Entry Work with staff to enter data into our ShelterManager database during animal intake. Cleaners BENCHS would like to thank the Employee Social Committee at Carlson Craft and Fine Impressions for raising $ for the animals at the shelter. Many of the employees at Carlson Craft and Fine Impressions have adopted dogs and cats from the shelter, and this was their way of showing their appreciation for all that we do for the dogs and cats at the shelter. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to all who contributed! Yard Work, Snow Removal Check "Groundskeeping/Gardening" on the volunteer interest form Donate Cat Visiting Space We haven't forgotten about our amazing cats. Become a Member of BENCHS Membership - $35 individual/family Kibble Klub Sustaining Membership Sustaining members begin at $10 per month Special Funds Sponsor a Pet Spay/Neuter Fund Vet & Vaccine Fund SOS - Save our Smiles Buster;'s mom is so grateful to BENCHS for providing her this wonderful companion who according to her brought her joy many times every day of his life. She gave a gift to BENCHS and asked that we create something special in memory of this best friend. The Busters Legacy, Meet and Greet room is a NO DOGS ALLOWED space designed to be a visiting space for potential cat adoptions. A lovely quiet room that will allow families to spend time with a cat Help cover the cost of dental care for our animals Make a Contribution Support the shelter with a donation or memorial

6 6 of 6 11/17/2016 7:46 PM and see if it is a match! This beautiful tribute to Buster will make cat adoptions smoother and hopefully increase the number of cats that leave BENCHS. Thank you to Sue Hamre. Black is the new Tabby We currently have a LOT of black kitties available. So, for the month of February, we have reduced adoption fees! $25 dollars off the regular adoption fee for fully black cats! Some of the nicest, sweetest, and most beautiful cats we have are included in this deal. Come in and see for yourself! Our Wish List We are in the process of adding our Wish List to our Amazon account. Watch for more details next month Bleach tablets (Walmart/ Hy-Vee) Liquid bleach Simple Green Dawn dish soap Stamps Premium Edge adult cat food Premium Edge kitten food Premium Edge dog food Premium Edge puppy food (Premium Edge is available at Pet Expo) Canned cat food Canned dog food Catnip toys Large Kongs Dog toys Blankets Towels Liquid laundry detergent Flat cat beds (easily washed) Water resistant apron Waiting for a Home We've run out of space to share pictures this month. Check out who's at the shelter on Petfinder of Facebook. Blue Earth Nicollet County Humane Society Happily at home at 1250 North River Drive, Mankato, MN Sign up to receive Paws for News e-newsletter